


Bonding Time, What Fun! (Not.)

by dominhos_pizza



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Among Us, Angst for a second lol, Baking, Basically Finished, Christmas Tree, Crackheads!Seungjilix, Drama Llama, Enemies to Lovers, Flan cakes yay!, Friends to Lovers, Hey Seungmin will you touch me I think I'm soft and fluffy, House Party, I AM TREE, I started writing the fic on Christmas Eve please don't kill me, I think I jinxed Elkie's situation whoops, I wrote Jisung based off my personality lmao, I'm not a responsible person at all, Instagram, Jisung does not know everyone in SKZ yet, Kitchen Messes, M/M, Pepe (CLC) Mago (G-Friend) and Mermaid (Yeeun) make an appearance here, Please Don't Kill Me, Pokemon, Rich Bang Chan, Snow!, So did that one Home Alone excerpt from Felix's STAY F.M. thing, Uber Driver Yeji, yes i had to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28305303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dominhos_pizza/pseuds/dominhos_pizza
Summary: Bang Chan invited his seven other frienzos to his house on Christmas for a close-knit house party and some good-old bonding time. What could go wrong?Well, when you have two of your friends fighting because they can't stand each other, another two friends that love making messes, a sadistic cat boy friend, a friend addicted to Pokémon, and a savage maknae, plenty. Plenty can go wrong.(That one fic where Hyunsung hang up mistletoe and also get caught under their own mistletoe.)
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Han Jisung | Han/Hwang Hyunjin, Kim Seungmin/Lee Felix, Seo Changbin & Yang Jeongin | I.N
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I promised you that I would be writing this today if you've checked out "Caught Red-Handed and Dead in a Coffin," as I said in the epilogue's note.
> 
> Did I see that "Merry Christmas with SKZ-Manito" vid? Yes, I did. Am I going to include some of that mess in this fic? Yes.  
> (It dropped when I was writing this fic's first chapter lmao, what a coincidence. Rudolph though...if you've seen the vid, you know what I mean.)
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this house party mess of a fic! It's quite a handful.
> 
> (And apparently, my dummy brain thought it was a good idea to put this note as the summary. *facepalms self*)

If there is anything to know about South Korea besides K-pop and its horrific trainee system, it would be the strict education system.

South Korea’s system is known by many to be competitive and rigid to degrading standards in every aspect of schooling. Elementary schools often expected young kids to be much more mature than they actually are. Junior highs often scared their attendants with unsettling futures and socially pressured them. High schools stacked their students with work and work until they could not see the word ‘happiness’ anymore. Universities did all of that with an addition of the “screw-students-over” factor. 

However, not all schools follow the system. The most notable and most merited of these is the prestigious JYP University. Although they have more of a focus on the entertainment industry, it still is a well-coveted school to all. If one were to get a scholarship from JYP University, everyone would know their name. Students who get free-ride are rare, and the occasion doesn’t happen often. 

From this description, one would consider JYP University students to be like the typical private school students, right? The ones that brag the hell out of their achievements, believe that others are inferior, those types of students?

Mot definitely not.

Like the saying ‘there are rotten apples in every barrel,’ there are ‘crackhead’ students among the normally prudent bunch. Teachers and staff alike call them crazy, but, to the so-called crackhead students, none of these opinions matter.

When cases of having a full-ride scholarship and being a crackhead come together, the entire school goes nuts. Fortunately, there are only three people, all boys, who fit this criteria.

(It’s unfortunate, everyone says, that they all dorm in the same room.)

Indeed, they are correct but in the wrong sense. 

Everyone thinks about the mischief that the boys invent in there, but no one ever thinks about the state of their room. Let’s just say this: it’s a mess. 

In the case of times right after finals-season two weeks before the Christmas holidays, the room is not a mess. It’s more of a dumpster garbage fire. Textbooks and stationery were scattered on the carpet floor, joining the rips of random notebook paper that were there before. Crumbs of junk food could be found everywhere from the rugs to the tables to even the beds. Spare clothes were strung on every surface they could find, especially on chairs.

The owners of the room were too tired after finals to clean up this disaster of a mess. Unfortunately, they had to anyway.

“Jisung, you have quite a mess on your side over there.”

The designated boy -- blonde, an inch shorter than everyone else his age, and chubby cheeks full of baby fat yet to be shed -- looked up from his ripped-paper-filled residence at fellow roomie Seungmin with a deadpan expression. “Don’t you have a mess to clean up as well?”

“I already did, like an hour ago.”

“That’s quick, did you clean under the bed?”

  
  
Seungmin, a brunette with facials resembling a puppy, rolled his eyes. “Duh, that’s where the ‘monsters’ hide apparently and you’ve annoyed me about it so much that I cleaned that place first just in case you asked.”

“Everything, including the dust?”

“Even the smallest speckles of it.’

“Woah, woah, I was just making sure! I didn’t want the monsters under the bed to haunt you again.”

“Whatever you say then,” Seungmin shrugged. “I’m more concerned about your bed. It has plenty of chip crumbs that haunt me every night. Nasty.”

Jisung threw his hands up in the air as if he was getting arrested by the Seungmin police. “Hey, you didn’t have to call me out like that. I’m going to clean it later.”

“Sure, you are. The last time you told me that, and you’ve said the same thing many times before that, you never did.”

“Fine. I procrastinate. A lot. You can’t blame me for it.”

“That’s your problem, not mine. Just don’t bring it over to my side.”

The door at that moment busted open with a bang, hitting the wall. The third musketeer and creator of the source, Felix, strode through the entrance confidently and towards the two confidently, as if he was on a catwalk instead of a messy college dorm. His red hair, parted down the middle, swayed with him as he did.

“My spider tingly senses are telling me that someone said procrastination. Did anyone here say the word ‘procrastinate’? Because, you know -- like mate, stop procrastinating!” 

Seungmin snickered sarcastically and pointed to Jisung. “He did.”

“AYE! That’s my boy!” Felix extended his hand out in a high five, which Jisung returned, before turning back to Seungmin. “So what we doing?”

“What you should have been here for a long time ago: cleaning.”

Felix groaned. “Ugh, really? I’m too tired to deal with that stuff; I just finished my finals and you tell me to do this hell? No way.”

“Your side is a crap ton worse than Jisung’s, and he’s cleaning his stuff right now. The fact that Jisung is #2 on my ‘the messiest person I’ve ever seen list’ is horrifying enough. The only person that manages to top that, and disgustingly too, is you. You saying that you don’t want to clean it only makes it much worse. “

Felix pulled out his phone from his pocket and flopped onto his own bed, spraying Oreo crumbs all over the floor nearby it. “I’ll do it in 5 minutes.”

Jisung rolled his eyes. “You better. If I’m doing it, you are.”

“Fine, mom,” Felix retorted cynically.

“Whatever.” Jisung rolled his eyes long and slow. 

Seungmin had enough with the two. “Can you two shut up and Jisung, can you clean?” 

“Fine, grandpa,” they both chimed in sync.

~~~~

Felix never bothered to clean his place. The boy resorted to being busy on his phone instead.

“You guys!” He called out. “Guess what?”

Jisung sighed. “What is it? You’ve been squealing about this and that; I don’t know what to respond anymore.”

“Trust me, it’s important. You gotta know this one.” Felix insisted.

“Sure. Spill,” Seungmin commented.

“Bang Chan’s having a party at his house. He just texted me an invite. Here.” Felix took a screenshot of the text as a photo and showed the screen to the other two.

**Chan-Hyung**

_Hi Felix! On Christmas (12/25 if you forgot), I’m hosting a party at my house inviting seven of my closest friends and you’re one of them! If you’re not busy during the time and want to come, make sure to RSVP by texting me back with a yes or no. I understand if you can’t make it, but just note you’re missing out on lots of fun if you don’t. ~ Chan_

“I’m planning on going! My parents will be taking a vacay to Australia, so I’m not busy during this vacation. You guys?”

Seungmin responded first. “I’m staying here for the holidays, so yeah. I’m not going to be stuck in this smelly dorm all day for the next week and a half.” 

“I mean, I don’t know,” Jisung cracks his fingers. “I’m not invited, so I don’t know. I’mma stay undecided for now.”

_DING! DING!_

Seungmin checked his phone.

“Speak of the devil, my invitation just came.” Seungmin chimed. “With the same message too, wow. Jisung, check your phone; someone else’s phone dinged and I think it’s yours.” 

“Welp, there goes my plans.” Jisung showed his roomies his invitation message. “He just sent me it.”

“Are you going?” Felix aggressively asked.

“I mean,” Jisung gulped, “my parents are going to Singapore without me and you know guys know me. I’m an introvert -- you guys besides Chan are my only close friends -- and I don’t want to be alone on Christmas. I might as well.”

Felix gave a loud slap to Jisung’s back. “Atta boy, atta boy.”

“I’m older than you.”

Felix covered his mouth with one hand and looked the other way. “And I oop, I forgot about that.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do I want a Jilix Pepe cover? Hell yes.
> 
> I was listening to Seunghee and Sorn's Jazzy/English version of Pepe (debut song by CLC) when I realized that this song would perfectly fit this plot. Then, I got hooked onto Janny's version, and here we are.
> 
> Seunghee and Sorn Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26qMizM47DE  
> Janny Version (it's really good): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8qil33U64s
> 
> I wrote this on my phone during a road trip in my parents' car (which I call Seunglix, what a coincidence) today. My phone was 1%, and I pressed the charger cord in too hard. It broke, and the end of the charge that is supposed to stick in the phone got stuck. Whoopsies, I might write a story about that later. I have fun stories to tell. :)
> 
> And, ooh...some romantic drama? 
> 
> Like I always say, yes.
> 
> I'm going to try to update again tonight. Let's see how that goes. ;)

\-- CHRISTMAS DAY; 12/25/20 --

Thank God that Seungmin could drive, has a driver’s license, and owns a car. Otherwise, Jisung and Felix might not have made it to the party on time.

Chan is a senior of theirs who lives in a mansion-like house right off campus. The front yard is huge, vast with green grass. Trees stood tall on their places on the lawn. A geometrical rectangular pathway from the gate leads its travelers to the mansion’s front door. Flower beds with a multitude of blue orchids, peonies, and yellow hydrangeas line the walkway. The house itself is a beautiful, large two-story house with spruce and marble undertones. 

The parking lot is right in front of this magnificent sight. It is mostly empty, besides the one car in the front center. It is, Jisung notices, Chan’s silver Mercedes Sedan. Chan has picked him up with it once or twice before. 

Assumingly, if there’s no cars at the party parking lot, there're the first ones here? He doesn’t know who the rest of the invitees are and most definitely their habits. He’s an anti-social introvert after all; how is he supposed to know everyone?

Seungmin parks his car, a red Toyota Accord, in the second empty square from the left, four squares to the left of the silver Sedan. 

“Yo, gang!” Felix slams the car door. “We’re gonna light this party on fire and make it a banger!”

“I hope you did not mean that literally or else we will be buying Chan another mansion,” Seungmin retorts. 

Felix smirked. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m not going to burn down his house. On the other hand, I might burn yours.” 

“Do you realize you’re going to burn your own place down as well? Plus, you’re paying the university whatever you did in damages.”

“You can pay it with me? Maybe Jisung too?”

That said boy refutes immediately. “Hell no, that’s on you and you alone.” 

Seungmin facepalms at Felix’s weird comments. “You’re crazy.”

“That’s nice to know; I like being crazy. It makes me feel alive.”

“I’ll note that for later,” Seungmin mumbles before turning to the other two. “There’s a bunch of things that can make you feel “alive” besides destruction of property, Felix -- like this party. Now, you two, make sure you don’t make too much of a mess. I don’t want to be paying a single dime from attending this, alright?”

“Yes, grandpa,” the two say unanimously in a monotonous tone.

“Whatever,” Seungmin classically rolls his eyes at the two’s antics. “Today’s Christmas. Let’s go have fun, shall we?”

They walk down the pathway to the front door of Chan’s house and leave their shoes on the shoe rack beside the door. Felix rings the doorbell with ten really aggressive pings. Unsurprisingly, the door right afterward is answered immediately by the host of the party himself, who was holding a half-filled champagne flute. 

“Oh, it’s the Three Musketeers! Hi Felix, Jisung, and Seungmin; I’m so glad you can make it. You’re the second group to arrive; we’ll wait for the two others that haven’t arrived yet and then I’ll start the party. Have fun in the meantime!”

Felix clinks his fist against the flute in Chan’s hand. “Thanks bro!”

“I’mma stay here and talk to Chan before all of the guests arrive, you two go into the house and have some fun,” Seungmin pulls a fake smile before sneaking in a grimace behind Chan’s back.

“Will do, grandpa. Come on, Sungie.” 

“Thanks, Chan,” Jisung mumbles shyly before getting pulled into the next room by Felix. 

~~~~

The house’s interior is as magnificent as its exterior: no denying, no dip.

When Felix and Jisung entered the main hall, passing between two large, marble-white pillars, both as tall as an average house, they were blown away at how expensive-looking everything was, from the structuring to the furniture to even the floor. 

The entire hall is like an enlarged indoor gazebo. The floor, sparkling and shining as if it was just cleaned five minutes ago, wraps in a circle around the circular-shaped lounge and the pillars by it. Four puffy black lounge chairs, with four white floor lamps accompanying each chair, are placed in each corner of the circle, and a table holding a clear glass vase of white roses is right in the center. Above it is a white dome with etched golden patterns and a crystal chandelier attached to the dome.

Behind that sight is a tall staircase with purple carpet steps and stunningly black balustrades that winds up to the next floor. To the back right corner of Felix and Jisung’s view is an arched window almost as big as the wall, halfway covered by a dark purple set of curtains.

Felixs let out a loud gasp. “Holy crap, Chan’s house…”

“This is incredible,” Jisung interrupts. “How much is this house?”

“Who knows?” They both shrug.

A light bulb randomly appears in Felix’s head. “Wait, let’s do something,” he exclaims.

“Every single time that happens, something doesn’t go well. What?”

“Let’s do a race! Whoever does three laps around whatever this circle path thingy is first wins.”

Jisung’s eyes went wide in horror. “Something is going to go wrong for sure. What if we knock one of the vases over?”

“Then…” Felix trails off. “The person who caused the mess pays for it. Simple.”

“Well then, that’s the smartest thing you have said all day apparently. But, you’re paying for you, and I’m not helping you with a single penny.”

“Whatever.”

Jisung facepalms. “You’ve said that too many times today.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let’s just race.”

~~~ 

Jisung is glad that nothing went wrong. At least he thinks so. Nothing got knocked down amid the adrenaline, which means no money needs to be paid to Chan for reparations thankfully. Even if he lost to Felix (by two seconds and because Felix cheated), the race was just what Jisung needed. It gave him that one excitement factor he needed to party. 

Felix shakes Jisung’s shoulder repeatedly. “Jisung, you’re blanking out on me.”

“Ah! Sorry about that, I was thinking about how the party will go.”

“It’ll be perfectly fine, don’t worry about it! Chan hosts amazing parties; he’s never hosted at his house before, but he’s set up plenty of others. I’ve been to only one, but that party -- it was phenomenal. Anyway, we have a problem.”

“Which is?”

“Stuck-up dancer b/tch.”

“Wait, who is…” Jisung tries to think of the people that can be till he sees a certain someone about to come down the staircase. “Oh.”

Felix lowers his voice slightly, just enough so only Jisung could hear.. “That b/tch, your enemy, makes me want to punch the wall till my fist becomes so broken that the hospital has to amputate it.”

“Whatever you say, Felix. I’ll do that myself on my own will with my head.”

“Don’t worry about that boy; you don’t need him.”

“Uh...yeah? I mean, he might be a bad boy with a warm heart deep inside? Maybe he needs someone to help him show more of his kindness.?”

“Maybe? Most likely not, you mean. You don’t seem confident about that answer earlier. I got a solution for that; I found this song three weeks ago, and it’s perfect for this scenario.” Felix pulls out his iPhone 12, goes to Youtube, and plays a song from his phone at half volume. 

“Wait, I love this song! Pepe? CLC? That one English cover version?”

“Hell yeah,” Felix answers, jamming to the song.

_If you look back to what you’ve done to me_

_You have met your limit_

_Breaking my heart, trashing it all away_

_How I want you gone_

_Oh guys are all the same_

_(Tell me what do you want?)_

_They think that love’s a game._

_(I’m sorry it’s not.)_

Felix sings the end of the pre-chorus in perfect pitch. “ _So if you are sick, go call an ambulance…_ ”

“ _Why won’t you leave me alone?_ ” Jisung belts.

They continue to sing the next few minutes away.

_Provoking me, shaking up my heartbeat_

_Oooh, what to do now?_

_You’re so crazy, amazing, but cut your acting_

_I won’t give in anymore!_

_Hubirue pepe pe-pero_

Felix shouts. “Let go!”

_Hubirue pepe pe-pero_

Jisung does the adlib this time. “ _Let go!_ ”

_Hubirue pepe pe-pero_

They do the next line in sync. “ _Let go! Baby, your time is up~~_ ”

_~~~~_

Hyunjin didn’t want to be at this party.

Yes, Chan had a very nice looking house, but Hyunjin didn’t come here out of his will. He would rather stay at home alone at his dorm, but, hey, Minho basically blackmailed him. He can’t avoid this party even if he wanted to; Minho would tutor him in dance if he attended and Hyunjin needed all the experience from a senior he can get. 

Currently, he’s at Chan’s fancy mansion house off campus dressed in a slightly oversized red silk short-sleeved shirt and well-fitting black jeans with no idea of what to do. The party hasn’t started yet, and Chan is busy talking with one of the other party attendants. Minho is off on the patio playing with Chan’s dog Berry, and, preferably, Hyunjin wouldn’t want to get his expensive clothes dirty. So, he’s just wandering around the mansion and checking out elegantly-designed rooms out of humor. 

He just finished his one-person tour of the second floor and went down the overly fancy staircase when he heard someone singing to music in the main hall. 

_Move back from my heart_

_Oh stop it, I have had enough_

_Please just cut it out now._

_Go search for someone to play somewhere else ~~_

Dang, Hyunjin thought. Whoever is singing in the hall is _really_ good at singing. Not to mention, the tune is super catchy as well. He didn’t know the song, but, with the high-quality performance that was going on in the main hall, he was willing to make a choreography for this song cover. It was that good, and it kept his interest. He kept listening, taking mental notes of the lyrics as he did.

_Oh guys are all the same_

_(Tell me what do you want?)_

_They think that love’s a game._

_(I’m sorry it’s not.)_

_So if you are sick, go call an ambulance_

_Why won’t you leave me alone_

_Provoking me shaking up my heartbeat_

_Oooh, what to do now?_

_You’re so crazy, amazing, but cut your acting_

_I won’t give in anymore!_

Wow, that person can sing. Hyunjin really should ask whoever it is on singing tips. Surely, it can’t be bad.

Hyunjin took a glance down the staircase.

Wait. No. That is a bad idea. A really, really bad idea.

Down in the main hall was his mortal enemy and his biggest rival, the person who annoyed him the most: Han Jisung. Right next to him was biggest rival #2, also known as Han Jisung’s best friend, Lee Felix.

Oh, this isn’t going to end well.

~~~~

“Sungie, here comes stuck-up b/tch.” Felix pointed to Hwang Hyunjin, who was coming down the stairs.

“Do you really have to call him that every single time his name comes out of your mouth?” 

“Yeah. He’s that bad, right?”

“I don’t know. Probably?”

“Then, call him stuck-up b/tch then.” 

Jisung’s face contorted into a deadpan expression. “You don’t have to be so aggressive, Felix.” 

“That nickname is reserved for him and for him only, but you do you.”

Jisung rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

At that moment, Hwang Hyunjin steps off the last step of the staircase, approaching them.

“Hey,” he coldly says to the two.

“Hi, Hwang. I didn’t know you were friends with Chan.”

Jisung was answered by silence because Hwang Hyunjin already left the hall.

Felix scoffs.“Goodness gracious, he really is a b\tch. All you wanted to do was to have a quick and civil chat.”

“Yeah.” Jisung scratches the back of his next. “Hey, those black chairs look comfy, wanna sit?”

“Sure.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it. The second update on the same day.
> 
> That's all I have to say besides the fact that I yeeted myself out the window writing all day today.
> 
> Enjoy the ornament drama.
> 
> (Holy crap, I wrote a lot today lolol. I'm tired and I"m off to bed; I'm going to update tags tomorrow. )

The only words Jisung has in mind are uh and oh. Well, more like them put together.

Uh oh. 

Chan rounded up the party attendants in the main hall and is about to give a lecture on who-knows-what. He’s the type of person to give a parent talk on contraceptives, which is known as a big uh oh when it comes to talks. Jisung made sure he’s comfortably acquainted with the couch in case this happens, body snug into the furniture’s puffiness.

As for the other attendants in the room besides Chan, Seungmin, Felix, and you-know-who, Jisung is indeed right; he doesn’t know the rest of them. There’s two boys he doesn’t know sitting on the loveseats. The boy on the left loveseat has slightly tousled brown-hair and jade-green doe eyes. The boy on the right has fox-like eyes and his dark blue hair is combed into a flowy bowl-cut. There’s also another boy he doesn’t know, a presumably scary boy with a dark brown bowl-cut and an amusingly long chin.

“So everyone,” Chan starts, “I’ve gathered you here on this lovely Christmas day for a party. How are we feeling?”

“Alright,” the dark brown bowl-cut guy says.

“Snazzy,” chimes in the boy sitting in the left loveseat.

The blue-haired boy says otherwise. “Absolutely terrible.”

Chan turns to him. “Jeongin, you just got here.”

Hyunjin snickers at the sight. “Chan, you got ousted out of the top savage position by your maknae.”

“Said who?” Chan gave Hyunjin a deadpan look.

Seungmin shrugs. “Me. All of us.”

The leader groaned. “Not you too, Seungmin...anyway, I sense something.”

“What?” Jeongin asks.

Chan snaps his fingers. “Tension.”

“Where?” the boy from the left loveseat pipes in. “I see none.”

“Minho, there’s some in the air. You know that.”

Minho takes a brief glance at the couch, specifically at Hyunjin and Jisung. “Oh, I see it now. We’ll deal with that later. So, what are we doing?”

“You see,” Chan scratches the back of his neck. “I didn’t plan out this party the way I was supposed to and there’s too much tension between us because we are not as acquainted with each other as we should. I want you guys to enjoy this party as much as I enjoyed setting it up, so we’re going to be doing some pair bonding time.”

“Bonding time?” Jisung asks. “Like what?”

“We will be doing work in pairs to knock off the tension and also to get some Christmassy preparations done. We’ll be knocking out two birds with one stone.”

“I feel bad for the birds; you shouldn’t hit them with stones.” Felix randomly says. Seungmin and Jisung give him _the look._ He shuts up immediately.

“So anyway, I have to assign pairs and jobs,” Chan takes a gulp before spouting a bunch of info. “Changbin and Jeongin, I’m too lazy to set up the Christmas tree so you will be doing so, putting on the ornaments and everything. There are ornaments in the first closet to the left; I’ll let you guys decorate it however you want since it’s your responsibility anyway. I bought some eccentric and trendy ornaments lately, so I hope that helps. Felix, I need some homemade desserts. Make whatever you want in the kitchen with Seungmin; I don’t care what you bake. No one has allergies to food here. All you gotta do is not make a hurricane in the kitchen and burn down the place. You four can go on -- Hyunjin, Jisung, stay back. I need to talk to you two for a hot minute.

When only Chan, Minho, Hyunjin, and Jisung were left in the room, they resumed the talk.

Hyunjin’s eyebrows knitted in confusion. “What do you need us for?”

“Ahem. Ahem.” Minho cynically coughs and his eyes rapidly flicker between Jisung and Hyunjin as if it is giving a subtle message.

“Yeah, about that…” Chan trails off.

Minho interrupts him and takes over the conversation. “You two’s tension are going to sink the party, and we need to damn well do something about it. You’re going to be hanging up mistletoe. Prank us however the hell you want; make it fun.”

“Minho!” Chan exclaims. Minho covers his mouth with his right index finger and turns it into a shush expression.

“What about you then?” Jisung retorts.

Minho takes his finger off of Chan’s mouth and proceeds to point to Chan. “I’m with him.”

“Minho, that’s enough now. You two, the box of mistletoe is on the couch. You know what they say, get going.”

Jisung does a dramatic humph. “I don’t want to work with him!”

“It’s not like I wanted to work with you in the first place, Jisung. The feeling’s mutual.” Hyunjin rolls his eyes.

“You two both have to work with each other before we’re doing the classic fanfiction trope of stuffing you both in a closet locked from the outside and handcuffing you two together.”

Hyunjin and Jisung look at each other before they both sigh. “Fine.”

~~~~

Meanwhile, in the hallway, Jeongin and Changbin are in search of that “first closet to the left.” They scour the place, leaving no place out of their sight.

“Jeongin, I don’t think Chan specifically described what closet we’re looking for.” Changbin opens one door. Realizing that it is not what he is looking for, he closes it with a small creak.

Jeongin shakes the doorknob his hand was on. “He should have specified what was in it in the first place. Guess he wanted to get rid of that Hyunsung mess as soon as possible, eh?”

“Yeah, it’s for the best, I guess. Their tension makes me want to throw up.” 

“Same.” Jeongin opens up a door to see jackpot. “Changbin, I found it!”  
  


“You found the ornaments?”

  
  
“Yup. Come over -- holy crap -- he has an entire treasure trove of ornaments. Where does he have the money to buy this stuff?”

Changbin walks over to the doorway where Jeongin stood and takes a look at the contents of the room. “Holy freaking crap, you weren’t kidding. Jesus Christ.”

The closet may seem ordinary when the door is locked, but it really is not. Inside the closet, there are multiple bookshelves and crates dedicated to carrying ornaments in all sorts of colors, shapes, and materials. Each ornament category has its own poster-sized label, each having an intricately-designed drawing for a title. There is a category for every single type of ornament one is looking for.

“Oh my gosh!” Changbin randomly exclaims. “There’s a Pokémon crate of ornaments. They have Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur -- wait, there’s a Munchlax one too! Oh my, my, my -- this is amazing! Ornament heaven!”

Jeongin’s ears perked up in horror. “Did you just say Pokémon?”

“Yes! Come over and look at this if you don’t believe me! Or rather...” Changbin picks up a Charizard ornament and hangs it over the box by his index finger. “This is proof; Chan, he’s…”

“Crazy? Insane? Nuts?”

Changbin finishes his statement. “Awesome!”

Jeongin shakes his head.

They take another twenty minutes to skim over every crate. Jeongin takes note of one particular one.

“HE HAS AMONG US ORNAMENTS?!”

Changbin looks at Jeongin with utter confusion. “Are you okay?”  
  
“Uh...uh...yeah, I guess. But, seriously, Chan has Among Us ornaments.”

“The hell?”

Jeongin holds up a Red Among Us player ornament. “I wasn’t kidding.”

~~~~ 

A half-hour later, after Changbin lugged a huge-ass coffin of a Christmas tree to the main hall with devil Jeongin riding his back, the two of them finally decorated the tree.

However, there was a problem. A huge one.

What ornaments should they use?

Jeongin and Changbin knew that they only wanted to use a specific genre of ornament: the gaming-related ones. The others were, by their standards, too fancy for this crackhead-like manner of a party, and Chan did say that they can do whatever they want to the tree. 

To deal with this problem, Changbin and Jeongin eliminated their possibilities to two: Pokémon and Among Us. Now, they must choose one.

Welcome to the grand debate of “Which Ornament?” featuring Changbin and Jeongin, hosted by yours truly. It went like this:

_Changbin: We should use Pok_ _é_ _mon! More people know about it._

_Jeongin: It’s too childish._

_Changbin: Say what? You love it too, you know!_

_Jeongin: But I don’t put Pok_ _é_ _mon ornaments on a Christmas tree nor do I need a Pok_ _é_ _mon plushie to sleep at night._

_Changbin: His name is Gyu, don’t bully him._

_Jeongin: Whatever you say, shortie. I still believe that Among Us is superior though._

_Changbin: And, how? You’ve never mentioned a reason why._

_Jeongin: Everyone likes it more than Pok_ _é_ _mon. Hyunjin is obsessed with it. Everyone plays the game nowadays. What else do you want me to say?_

_Changbin: There’s not much variation of ornaments with Among Us though? It’s just blobs wearing accessories._

_Jeongin: Better than furries._

_Changbin: You didn’t have to come at me with that._

_Jeongin: You know I gotta. :)_

There was a sudden scream from the kitchen, presumably from Minho. His voice rang around the house’s first floor like a siren ready to murder someone.

“GUYS! GUYS! GUYS! GUYS! GUYS! COME OVER TO THE KITCHEN!”

“People have been telling me to come over to too many places. What is it?” Changbin retorted back.

“SEUNGLIX KISSED IN THE DAMN KITCHEN!”

“Kissed where?” Changbin screamed. “Cheeks? Ears?”

“THE LIPS?”

Jeongin exclaimed. “Excuse me?”

“COME OVER RIGHT NOW! CHAN GOT A PIC!”

“Photoshopped?” they both called out in unison.

“HELL NO, I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!”

“HE’S NOT KIDDING!” Chan hollered.

_Changbin: You win._

“I want to see this,” Jeongin muttered. “even if Minho has pranked us.” 

“Same, leggo?”

“Bring it on.”

~~~~

When they arrived at a very messy kitchen, Minho and Chan with their phones out at the scene, and Felix and Seungmin wrapped in an embrace, Changbin and Jeongin knew something was up. Minho was not lying this time.

Jeongin’s eyes grew to the size of his hands. “Ah sh…”

“Child, don’t curse!”

  
  
“See?” Minho pointed to the sight. “I was not kidding this time.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Took a day off yesterday for drawing, I'm back with delicious new content now, yay!
> 
> I'm trying to finish this off before New Year's. Let's see if I make it.
> 
> SEUNGLIX IN THE BUILDING EVERYONE! :D
> 
> (Note: I have made flan cake before. The recipe I included in this video and the recipe I used IRL is this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_nTuBoo8Vs&t=172s)

\-- EARLIER --

“Hmmm,” Felix paces around the kitchen. “Chan wants us to bake something, but I don’t know what to bake.”

‘I don’t know; you’re the main baker here. I’m just your assistant,” Seungmin shrugs as he puts on a spare apron.

“Well, one problem I have is how much time do we have to bake.”

“Two and a half hours, maybe? I’m not exactly sure.”

  
  
Felix sighed in relief. “Thank gosh, that’s plenty of time. I wanted to make quite a few desserts.”

“Like what, you say?”

“Well, I wanted to put a twist on my usual brownies and cookies as well as trying a new idea I’ve been thinking about recently. Plus, Chan has this nice gingerbread house outside and I want to try that too.”

“I highly suggest you construct that gingerbread house later. Maybe we can do that later with Jisung?” Seungmin turns on the sink and washes his hands. 

“Sounds like a good idea to me, Min.” 

“And,” Seungmin pipes up. “what is the twist you were mentioning? I hope it does not involve Hwang Hyunjin.”

Felix gasps in fake horror. “Hell no! I don’t even want to think about him tonight; these desserts are for Chan, Minho, Sungie, and the other guys that I would like to make friends with here -- not him. 

“The twist will be very delightful,” Felix continues on. “Blondies, white chocolate brownies, with a drizzle of strawberry, cherry, and raspberry reduction! Gooey chocolate-chip cookies with tangy caramel inside and a very light sprinkle of sea salt on top! Plus...flan cake!”

“That seems nice and all -- it’s even making me hungry -- but do you have any clue on how to make what you just said?” Seungmin casually asks.  
  


Felix gives him a deadpan look. “I’ve been looking up different recipes for them all this week, and I took the best parts out of all of those and made my own recipes for each dessert. It’s all on here.” He holds up his phone.

“Ok, whatever you say, Felix. So, which one are we doing first?”

“Flan cake! It’s the easiest!”

“Sure. Go wash your hands and we’ll get started. Leave your phone so I can see the ingredients. ”

Felix scurries away to the sink and sings a brief high-pitched and beautiful melody as he washes his hands. It was as if he is a magnificent songbird that shone brightly in the sun, Seungmin thinks. A pure, innocent, and strong soul, he flies away from reality and into his own magical world to never come back. Too bad that Seungmin himself was too cynical for a person like him. Felix is a beauty, and whoever attains his company should cherish it greatly. 

He shakes his head, emptying his thoughts, before taking a look at the flan cake recipe via Felix’s phone. He pulls out a large bowl from one of the wooden cabinets nearby, takes the carton of eggs out of the fridge, sets that down on the countertop, and starts cracking open six eggs.

__. ___.__.__.__.__._

_Caramel:_

_⅔ cup of sugar_

_⅓ cup of water_

_Custard:_

_6 eggs_

_6 egg yolks_

_½ cup of water_

_2 ½ cup of milk_

_1 tsp vanilla extract_

___.__.__.__.__.__._

~~~~

When Felix got back from his washing-hands-scheme-thingy, Seungmin already had put all of the ingredients for the custard into the bowl and was mixing them with a whisk.

“Hey, sorry I’m so late, I was talking to Chris and Minho out there earlier after using the restroom,” Felix greets him with a wave. “How much have you done?”

“Nah, it’s alright. I’m not doing bad. I’m mixing the ingredients for the custard in the bowl right here.”

“Ooh! That’s great! I think it’s been only 15 minutes so we have plenty of time to make this thing. I’ll go make the caramel. It should be relatively simple; I just need to keep my eye on it.”

“You do you.” Seungmin glances at him with a puppy pout. 

Felix’s cheeks fade into a shade of blush red. “U-u-uh...yeah. Will do.” He takes a spatula from the sink, hops over to the stove, and turns it on. He, with two hands, lifts a lidded metal pot from under the station on top of the stove and pours the sugar and water in. Mixing the new substance with the spatula in clockwise motions every once in a while, Felix keeps an eye on the about-to-be-caramel to make sure it doesn’t burn. While doing so, he felt some hands touch his waist for a few seconds before rapidly pulling away. 

He takes his eyes briefly off the caramel to glance behind him. He finds nobody there. Instead, there was a blushing Seungmin, who was watching Felix and the caramel on the side.

“Sorry,” the brunette admits.

Felix coos at the boy while still looking at the pot on the stove. “Awww, that’s so cute Minnie, don’t apologize for it! If you want, I’ll let you back hug me as I finish the caramel.”

“Are you sure? I mean, it may interfere with the caramel…”

“It’ll be fine; you and I can watch it together.” 

Seungmin wraps his arm around him and nuzzles into his shoulder.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. I’m glad to see this side of you again. It’s been a while since it has came out.”

They finish the flan cakes, leaving them to cool. Everything was all safe and sound.

(“So, all we have to do is pour the custard onto the caramel?”   
  
“Yes, Minnie. It’s pretty simple, isn’t it?

“Sure is.”)

~~~~

After the flan cakes, hell went loose.

It didn’t go as smoothly as Felix and Seungmin expected it to, but the cookies and brownies were still amazing as always. There was just a mess in the kitchen. Sorta.

There were ingredients spilled everywhere. Flour dusted the floor like snow. Sugar, baking soda, and baking powder were spilling out of their packages. Spare cookie batter was all over the countertop. Bowls sat around, insides messy and desperately needed to be washed. The egg carton brought out by Seungmin earlier was empty, not a single egg left. 

“You used up all of my frienzos, Minnie,” Felix jokes.

Seungmin’s eyes widen comically. “The eggs?”

“Yeah, them.” The red-haired boy sighs and turns his head to face the kitchen window. “Wow, it sure is cold outside.”

“Today’s Christmas, duh,” Seungmin comments.

“I know, but usually it doesn’t snow.”

“True. In here though, it looks like a winter wonderland.”

“A beautiful one. So, should we clean up this mess?”

Felix smirks. “As you wish, Minnie.”

Seungmin blushes as he grabs the broom and dustpan from the closet. “You’re getting bold, aren’t you Lixie-sweetie?”

“I’m just playing your little game,” Felix says as he does a little waltz in his corner of the kitchen.

“Sorry, that was just -- “

Felix interrupts sharply. “Don’t apologize. There’s nothing to apologize for.”  
  
“But isn’t that…”

“Isn’t that too romantic of us roomies? Nah. We always had a special connection between us two anyway. Jisung, when we are together, knows he’s been third-wheeled, don’t worry about it. He’ll get his sh/t together someday.”

Hyunjin’s voice ringing out next contradicts that statement. 

_“Don’t place the mistletoe there, idiot!”_

_“Why not?! There’s nothing wrong with putting a mistletoe here!”_

_  
_ _  
_ _“You’re going to set something on fire!”_

 _  
_ _  
_ _“But everyone puts mistletoe near the stockings hanging above the fire, butthole! It’s even in Home Alone!”_

 _  
_ _  
_ _“That’s a wreath, you dumbass!”_

 _  
_ _  
_ _‘But wreaths and mistletoes are made out of the same thing!”_

 _  
_ _  
_ _“So?!”_

Seungmin huffs. “Or not.”

“I wonder who set them up to do the mistletoe. It’s not Chan for sure.”

  
  
“Probably Minho.”

They nod in sync.

“You know,” Felix trails off. “I’m glad the cookies and brownies are ok. I don’t know what I would do if I burned the house down.”

“Good question, who knows? I’m actually still in awe on how you didn’t burn the caramel.”

“The caramel for...oh. That. That moment was cute.”

“Sorry.”

Felix dramatically turns to face Seungmin. “You don’t have to apologize for that, how many times did I tell you? What do I have to do to make sure you stop saying sorry?”

“You could do a bunch of things, but maybe a back hug?”

  
  
“Actually,” Felix touches his own neck with his index and middle fingers. “I was thinking the same thing...but with a twist?”

  
  
“And what would that be?”

“This.”

The next thing that happened was something that came out of a storybook. 

Felix kisses him on the lips with a brief but hard peck.

Seungmin had no words to describe the feeling besides the word “paradise.” As soon as Felix pulls away, he’s leaning forward to capture Felix’s lips in a hard and slow chaste kiss. 

“I may seem like a b\tch all of the time, but just know that deep inside, I love you. You mean the world to me.”

A tear runs down Felix’s eye. “S-same. You don’t know how much you mean to me. The words to describe that don’t exist in the dictionary.”

“I see, I see,” Seungmin pulls Felix into a tight embrace and wipes the tear. “Sweetie, don’t cry. You, me, Jisung, maybe even you know who if he survives Jisung’s wrath -- we will be okay. ”

_FLASH!_

Something hits the bottom of the counter hard, and, suddenly, there is the sound of footstep patters on the floor. “Aish, I forgot to turn off my flash on my phone. Shucks.”

Was that Chan? That sound definitely was not caused by a pet.

And indeed it was. The host of the party winces as he stands up from his position on the floor. 

The Minho siren goes off. “GUYS! GUYS! GUYS! GUYS! GUYS! COME OVER TO THE KITCHEN!”

“PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TELLING ME TO COME OVER TO TOO MANY PLACES. WHAT IS IT?” That was probably Changbin.

“SEUNGLIX KISSED IN THE DAMN KITCHEN!”

“KISSED WHERE? CHEEKS EARS?”

“THE LIPS!”

“EXCUSE ME?” Oh gosh, the maknae knows. He’ll be bothering Seungmin for days.

“COME OVER RIGHT NOW! CHAN GOT A PIC!”

  
Felix gives Seungmin a kiss on the cheek before mumbling, “Minnie, I think we are screwed.”

“Yup.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter update, I can finally say that I'm not 'lying' in my description. :D
> 
> I watched the new STAY F.M. four seconds after it came out on YouTube and I really loved the excerpt that Felix read! I figured it would be a nice excerpt and touch to the plot here so I added it today. I made my own adaptations to it. :)
> 
> Watch the new STAY F.M. (Ep 2: Chrissy) here!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTgve5zL-6c

_I was afraid of getting my heart broken again._

_You see, sometimes you can trust a person, and then, when things are down, they forget about you. I’m afraid that, if I do trust someone, I’ll get my heart broken._

_I had a nice pair of rollerblades. I was afraid to wreck them, so I kept them in a box. Do you know what happened next?_

_I outgrew them. I never wore them outside. Only in my room a few times but nowhere else. Other than that, they stayed in the perfect, untouched shoebox they came in._

_A person’s heart and feelings are very different than skates yet they have an important similarity. If you won’t use your heart, who cares if it gets broken? If you just keep it to yourself, it’ll be left in a shoebox in the back of the closet collecting dust, just like my rollerblades. And, when you do decide to try it, it won’t be any good._

_You should take a chance. You’ve got nothing to lose. There has to be some little truth in there._

_At least I think so._

_Your heart might still have been broken, but it isn’t gone. If it was, you wouldn’t be so nice. Your heart would have been rotten to the core filled with only darkness and hatred instead._

  * Adapted; Home Alone, “[ASMR: 8.01 STAY FM] Ep. 02 Chrissy”



~~~~

\-- MEANWHILE --

As much as Hyunjin hated Jisung, Jisung can’t help but feel pity for Hyunjin. His emotions may be displayed in a complex textbook, but Jisung can easily tell that Hyunjin does not have ill intentions. It’s much of the opposite actually. 

At least he thinks so. Everytime Jisung tries to ask him once or twice, Hyunjin starts a fight between them, which causes Jisung to stomp away in irritation and mentally calculate when the next opportunity will be. 

The ending is always the same. Jisung confronts him. Hyunjin pushes him away with something that ticks Jisung off. Jisung calls him an insensitive push-over. Hyunjin and Jisung are about to start a brawl but not before their friends pull them away from each other. 

He’s patient, but, when it comes to Hwang Hyunjin, he’s anything but. What can he say -- 59 times is the charm? Jisung really wants to give up on him, but something in Jisung subconsciously motivates him not to. Hyunjin may be an ice cube stuck within his freezer of iced feelings, but maybe there is a way to take that ice cube out of the freezer and warm it up?

The main question is: what warms up Hyunjin’s heart?

Jisung can’t seem to find the answer to that question; that’s a major problem. Is he shooting in the dark for answers when that miracle factor does not exist? Is he chasing a fantasy? 

At times when Jisung is not face-to-face with Hyunjin, he thinks of Hyunjin in a rational manner, but Hyunjin is currently infuriating him with his out-of-touch logic. Wreaths are wreaths and mistletoe are mistletoe, but wreaths and mistletoe are made out of the same material. Putting mistletoe right above a fireplace’s lintel area won’t burn a place like this.

It would be an exaggeration to say that one mistletoe placement will burn the house down, right?

Hopefully not because Jisung would be the wrong one in this situation and he hates to lose.

“Don’t place the mistletoe there, idiot!” Hyunjin chides Jisung.

“Why not? There’s nothing wrong with putting a mistletoe here!”

  
  
“You’re going to set something on fire!”

  
  
“But everyone puts mistletoe near the stockings hanging above the fire, butthole!” Jisung sharply retorts. “It’s even in Home Alone!”

  
  
“That’s a wreath, you dumbass!”

  
  
‘But wreaths and mistletoes are made out of the same thing!”

  
  
“So? How does that relate to this?”

“They’re made out of the same material,” Jisung explains in a mocking tone. “The material determines if something is flammable, which is, for your dumb brain, how easy something can be set on fire.” Jisung takes a mistletoe and places it in the spot he said he would.

“Alright, and? Where do you want to put the next mistletoe? We have all of these mistletoe in this heavy-ass box, and I don’t want to be lugging this around all day. You haven’t touched this box a single time.”

“Well, I don’t know. Let me think.”

  
  
Hyunjin cuts his train of thought. “We don’t have much time.”

  
  
“Yes, I know -- now, please don’t pressure me…”

“GUYS! GUYS! GUYS! GUYS! GUYS! COME OVER TO THE KITCHEN!”

Is that Minho? 

“SEUNGLIX KISSED IN THE DAMN KITCHEN!”

That was definitely Minho. And what was he hearing about Seunglix kissing in the kitchen? 

If they did, finally. Jisung was sick of them side-stepping each other all the time. But, he can congratulate them later since he has third roommate special privileges. For now, he has to deal with this mess.

Wait. The Seunglix situation. The Minho distraction. That’s perfect for the random idea that just appeared in Jisung’s brain.

“Wait.”

  
  
“What?”

“I got an idea, and it may seem weird but stay with me here. How about --”

Hyunjin interrupted. “You heard what Minho is blaring about in the kitchen, right?”

“Yeah, of course I did. It’s what this little thing I have in mind is about. How about we do a competition where we just put as much mistletoe as we can in different places without being caught by the friends train? That way, we can easily empty this box.”

“Actually,” Hyunjin trails off. “That sounds good. Let’s do it?”

“Ok. We’ll count how many mistletoe are in the box, split that number in half, and then we’ll start. Deal?”  
  
“Sure?”

Jisung thinks that this is a potential breakthrough in his understanding of Hwang Hyunjin.

~~~~

76 left in the box. 38 mistletoe each. Go. 

(Thank gosh, the number of mistletoe is an even number. Jisung wouldn’t want to know what happened if he and Hyunjin bickered on who got that extra +1 mistletoe.)

The two “enemies” scrambled in opposite directions, putting their mistletoe in the most places possible. Jisung decides to put his mistletoe in the most stereotypical place possible: right above every doorway. 

Hey, it worked for the most part. One mistletoe for the front top of the doorway, and one mistletoe for the back top of the doorway. That way, Jisung only needs to find 19 doorways to mistletoe-fy.

Unfortunately, even with Jisung’s fast processing, Hyunjin still beats him to the chase.

“Eh, I should have known. Dancer body, more in shape. I can’t relate,” Jisung comments. “Anyway, we’re done with the box. What do you want to do?”

“Uh...I don’t want to do this, but look up. Just saying.” Jisung looks up to see that mistletoe they placed earlier when fighting. 

“Shucks. Are you kidding me?”

“I wasn’t lying, was I?”

“...No?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once again, you can easily tell what I've been listening to. Ahem, Mago.
> 
> And, ooh, angst! I originally did not intend to add this dramatic scene but welp...
> 
> My plans go wrong somehow. Enjoy, I'll update tonight if I can.

Well, this predicament was awkward. Really, really awkward.

Jisung and Hyunjin, two enemies that were supposed to hate each other’s guts, got stuck under their own mistletoe. 

Is this supposed to be possible? Jisung doesn’t think so.

“You’re referring to the mistletoe, right?” Jisung says to Hyunjin, incredulous of the situation.

“Yeah.”

  
  
“You know the tradition of two people getting stuck under mistletoe, what they have to do?”

Hyunjin scoffs. “Of course I know, drongo.”

  
  
“Shut up with your Australian slang, Hwang.”

“You can’t say anything, you fellow Aussieboo.”

Jisung zips his mouth in a firm line. “Oh yeah, I forgot about myself. Goodness gracious.”

“We both suck.” Hyunjin shakes his head.

“Mhm,” Jisung hums in agreement. “So, what are we supposed to do about this?”

“Deal with it, and then never talk about it again. That’s what we’re supposed to do as ‘enemies’, right?”

“Do we have to do as they say? What if I want something different?” Jisung leans forward, his nose directly touching Hyunjin’s. 

Hyunjin’s ears start to turn a shade of bright red, as if they were a kettle pot of boiling water being warmed over a fireplace. He starts to sputter. “I-I-I mean, are you sure about that?”  
  


“Cool as a cucumber, chill as an ice cube -- I know what I’m doing here.”

“I’m a mess.”

  
  
“I don’t care; if you deeply insist, we can clean that mess up later. Right now, I only want you.”

“I don’t k-know…” Hyunjin shudders at their closeness.

“If you don’t know what you want, I guess I’ll have to settle for something less.” Jisung mutters, “I’ll do this real quick because of the mistletoe and never come back to this party. Seunglix can come after me later in the dorm if they want.”

Out of the blue, Jisung closes the gap between them with a quick peck on Hyunjin’s lips. After a second, he pulls away and leaves the room. Hyunjin is left alone with euphoric shivers of what just happened.

~~~~

Do I want him? Do I want Jisung? 

Technically, I’m the person who started the feud. These feelings don't make sense. I consider him an enemy and he knows this. Yet, he keeps one ear open despite that, and he’s always acceptant of everything. And this? Whatever just happened? I know it’s just mistletoe -- our mistletoe even -- but that kiss...it makes me want to have more. The exuding charisma. The confidence. His sensibility. The touch of his, dainty and soft. He makes me want him. 

Wait. These jitters of mine. These roaming thoughts. Is this what it feels like to be in --

That’s it! Love! I want him. I want Jisung to love me back. That’s the answer!

How did I only just realize this just now? Why did I hide my feelings?

_If you don’t know what you want, I guess I’ll have to settle for something less. I’ll do this real quick because of the mistletoe and never come back to this party. Seunglix can come after me later in the dorm if they want._

His words echo through my brain repeatedly. Never come back, never come back -- wait. He left the room?

I realize my worst fears, him leaving, have come true. Where is he? He has to know! I have to tell him! I know what my answer is!

But, where could he be?

_Seunglix can come after me later in the dorm if they want._

Seunglix -- Seungmin and Felix -- they’re his roommates. The dorm is their place. He’s going home, which means that in the past few minutes he has only reached…

The entrance!

I scramble towards the house’s entrance in hopes of catching him at the right moment. 

I might have hit multiple walls, a few door hinges, and nearly a vase, but I don’t care. I have to find him. 

~~~~

_Are we dreaming? I never saw it coming. What could help me out? Call for help._

  * Excerpt, Yeeun - Mermaid



After the debacle-gone-wrong, I purposefully and obviously avoided Hyunjin. I couldn’t bother with how he truly felt. He’ll just come back and tell me he feels nothing. He will. I can’t help but have a mental motion picture of his lips spilling those harsh words. 

_I know what I want. I don’t want you. I’ll find someone better. Thank you for helping me realize that._

If there’s anything I learned about myself over the years, it’s that I’m a coward and there is nothing that I can do about it. I’ve put up a fake wall of confidence and charisma over the years in hopes of hiding my fragile heart. After building it up and leaving it there for so long, I can’t bring it down. When that wall collapses, it breaks down in a rumbling wave, resulting in despair.

That time is now. Now, after flying undisturbed in bliss, it was time for me to pay the price.

  
I should have known it was coming from the start. 

I went out through the secret entrance that led to the parking lot and ventured on the sidewalk trail past it. And, woah. I didn’t expect this. 

Ah, my impulsiveness. It strikes again this time in the form of snow. As the night goes on, the snow piles over the grass in large clumps, replacing the coarse texture of the green grass from earlier with its cotton-like temperature. It was as if a blizzard got dumped on this place. How did nobody know about this? 

When I came to this party, I brought only three things besides my clothed self: a decently oversized black hoodie, his phone, and my golden/gray Studio 3 Beats headphones. I did not plan to use any of these items -- wrapping the black hoodie’s sleeves into a knot around my waist and putting the rest of the items out of reach -- but here I was now using them as a source of comfort. I connect the headphones to his phone, put the headphones over his ears, and listen to a random song at half-volume. The bouncy, disco-vibe synths immediately spiel out.

_The blossoming night starts._

_Write it down._

_If it’s just for me._

_The first page, yeah._

_6-9-6-0 Magic_

_Everyone starts dancing crazy_

_Raise a glass to me now_

GFRIEND’s Mago. Ah, it couldn’t have come at a better time than this. Ever since it was released a month ago, I have adored the song. It was groovy, catchy, and it had that edge that kept me repeating the song in a loop.

“You know,” I thought to myself as the song continues to play, “you should have listened to Felix. You don’t need him. Why did I ever worry about him in the first place?”

_Every do’s and don'ts_

_They all bore me._

_I’ll fly away on a broom and never see them again._

_Don’t be afraid, I will never get hurt._

_My life is waiting for you_ _  
_ _(Yes, you.)_ _  
_ _His smiles peering at me through the mirror_

_(Hakuna matata)_

_My heart is beating for you_

_(Yes, you.)_

_There are no more fairy tales_

_The night goes tick tock tick tock_

_Ring my heart_

_Mago, mago_

_Go ahead and judge me_

_I don’t care, I won’t ever waiver_

Unable to resist the groove of the ongoing bass, I sing the next part of the chorus. 

_Mago, mago_ _  
_ _Dance an elegant dance for me_

_The night goes tick tock tick tock_

_Feels so high_

Hmmm...should I walk to the dorm or get an Uber? At this point, I don’t really if I pass out randomly on the street in the snow, so both options will do. The dorm isn’t that far from here; I’ll probably get there in an hour and it’s good exercise anyway. At the same time, a few of my cousin’s friends are Uber drivers and I’ve been to places via them before so…

Eh, I’ll decide after this song and from there, get going. It’ll be for the best; nobody needs me here anyway. For now, I’ll just savor this moment and enjoy it.

_Whatever I’ll choose, so it’ll be_

_Decide between joy or sorrow_

_All of these describe me somehow_

_Flames blossom_

_Moonlight shimmers_

_We can dance in the moon night again_

_Raise the glass high up_

_Take hold of the future_

Yes, I will. Gladly.

Hyunjin does not determine how my night will end. I do.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I lied yesterday, whoops.
> 
> Well, this update is kinda short because it's so climactic (istg lolol). Enjoy the angst being solved in a day.

Busting open the secret entrance door, I realize that I should have paid more attention to the weather. 

It’s snowing. Shucks. With these clothes, I’ll be freezing to death. Silk does not hold up well against the winter season, nonetheless snow. But, I don't care. This is a one-in-a-million opportunity; I can’t miss it. 

If I do, my relationship with Jisung, both platonic and romantic, are doomed. The big time type of doomed.

I can’t let that happen.

So, I get out into the snow, hoping I can find Jisung out here. I may be taking a shot in the dark, but so be it. At this moment, I don’t care about anything else besides Jisung, even if that means my current well-being. 

Wait. The snow. Footprints?

I look down to see another trail of footprints in the snow. I don’t think anybody else has been outside since the snow started falling. That must be Jisung’s.

I must follow them. 

~~~~

Jisung was scrolling down the list of available Uber drivers on his phone when he heard somebody screaming his name out of the blue. 

“JISUNG! JISUNG!” 

Despite his headphones being noise-cancelling, Jisung can still hear the person’s screams for his name. He surely didn’t expect the person to be Hyunjin, but he can’t let Hyunjin know that he is aware of Hyunjin’s presence. He continues to walk down the set-out trial and keeps his eyes on his phone to try to divert Hyunjin.

“I KNOW! I KNOW!” Hyunjin screams, running after the other boy.

Jisung shudders at those words. No, not the imagination. He couldn’t handle that Hyunjin and the words that spilled from his lips. 

_I know what I want. I don’t want you. I’ll find someone better. Thank you for helping me realize that._

“JISUNG, PLEASE! TAKE A LOOK AT ME!”

Jisung couldn’t handle that either. He does not want to face whatever fierce and harsh glare Hyunjin’s eyes held, so he tilts his head to the left briefly before he continues walking.

“I’M SORRY, OKAY? I WAS SO STUPID BACK THEN; I DIDN’T REALIZE MY FEELINGS FOR YOU! JISUNG, PLEASE!”

Said boy stops walking and turns off the song playing on his phone, but he does not turn around. 

“What?” Jisung says blankly. “Just say it. I might as well watch my demonic imagination and my reality become one of the same. Bring the poison over to me, won’t ya’?”

Next thing he knew, Hyunjin collided with him harshly and pulled the two of them into a hug as they fell onto the snow. He sobs onto Jisung’s chest profusely -- eyes leaking with tears and breath respiring rapidly full of snot. 

“I love you. I love you. I love you, Han Jisung. I’m so sorry for not realizing my feelings earlier - you just make me feel different things - past you, this you - back then I didn’t know what to think but now you’ve changed and I --”

  
Jisung looks up into Hyunjin’s eyes. He couldn’t believe the sight he was witnessing: Hyunjin with red-lidded eyes with tears overflowing, the subtle mascara on his eyelids sorta smeared, and the most important of all, his voice. 

Hyunjin’s voice is different. It lacks the witty and cynical tone that it usually has. Instead, it’s replaced by this shyness and vulnerability that Jisung can’t seem to put his finger on. It was a scary sight to see.

Jisung hushs Hyunjin with a finger. “Hyunjin, darling, you don’t have to cry.”

“But I’m --”

“Say no more, darling. You’re not going to lose me.”

“But --”

“You’re not going to lose me. We have our misconceptions that diverge and confuse us. We have our demons that try to eat us whole. But, all you have to do now is to never let go. ”

“I’ll never,” Hyunjin weeps, “let you go again.”

  
  
“That’s my darling.” 

The two of them have a quite extensive fifteen-minute hug session in the snow. It’s a miracle that neither of them got a cold.


	8. ---

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yohhhhhhhh, I finally didn't procrastinate and decided to post again! I felt bad for "lying" yesterday and I had quite a bit of time on my hands since I'm staying up for New Year's so here I am! This is the epilogue, wassup! 
> 
> I (somehow) completed my goal for this series to end right before New Year's! Let's get it! For weird reasons, I'll keep the chapter count at 8/? and change it to complete two minutes before New Year's (which is in around 2 and 1/2 hours currently). 
> 
> Regarding my future story plans, I plan on holding off my AO3 writing to after I finish my response to New York Time's Student Review Challenge (which will probably be short, like 400-word like short.)
> 
> (If you are curious like me, here's the link to what I'm talking about. Shhh, I'm writing about Stray Kids :D https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/09/learning/our-6th-annual-student-review-contest.html)
> 
> Happy 2021 everyone!! Let's have a great year, and, as Felix said earlier today, dismissed! :D

An hour later, Chan and Co. sit around the table, all of them done with their tasks for bonding time. There was no more tension between them, which resolved the problem Chan initially set out to solve, but there was another problem.

“Guys, do any of you know where Hyunjin and Jisung went?” Chan speaks up in the silence. 

Minho shrugs. “I haven’t seen them since that.”

“You probably scared them off,” the oldest retorted.

“N-no, I didn’t!”

  
  
“Sure, hyung,” Jeongin snickers. “Sure you did.”

“I didn’t!”  
  
Felix’s loud scream suddenly cuts through the banter. “GUYS! HUSH IT!” 

The room becomes the you-can-even-hear-a-pin-drop silent, all of its current occupants being scared of angry Felix. Everyone knew not to mess with him; even the boys who didn't know Felix that well could tell this just from Felix’s aura. For the ones who did know Felix well and happened to accidentally tick off Felix...they don’t want to recall what happened for their sanity’s sake. 

“OH MY GOSH!” Felix continues to scream scrolling through his phone.

“What is it, sweetie…” Seungmin peers over Felix’s shoulder to see what Felix is looking at on his phone. “Oh. That explains it.”

The rest of them come over to look at Felix’s phone.

“Seungmin, what is it?” Minho asks.

“Hyunjin and Jisung, they’re at the 7-Eleven. Apparently, they took a picture of them kissing and it blew up on Instagram. It has 25,000 likes and it was only posted 20 minutes ago.”

Chan raises an eyebrow. “Say what is blowing up?”

“Hyunjin taking a selca and Jisung kissing his cheek.”

  
  
“Whose cheek?” Changbin quips.

“Hyunjin’s,” Felix and Seungmin say unanimously.

“The hell?”

  
“Don’t curse, Jeongin,” Chan shakes his head.

“What the hell, Chan.”

“Minho, you too.”

Minho sulks. “Fine.”

~~~~

After taking an Uber to the nearest 7-Eleven (courtesy of Hyunjin’s Uber-driver cousin, Yeji), Hyunjin and Jisung roam through the place in search of paper plates and if possible cheesecake. They go through every aisle in the 7-Eleven, looking at every last item on the shelves. 

“Sungie, is the paper plates the next aisle over?”

  
  
“I think so, darling. If you want, I can go look right now.”

  
  
“No, no, Sungie; you don’t have to. I’ll check myself.”

  
  
“Then, we'll both check. Meet in the next aisle then, darling?”

  
  
“Sure!”

And so they did. They found the paper plates there and boxed cheesecake in the aisle over. 

“So,” Jisung questions. “What cheesecake should I get?”

  
  
“I’m not that much of an enthusiast of cheesecake to be honest,” Hyunjin says, “but I like turtle and New York the most.”

“Turtle cheesecake?” Jisung’s eyes open wide. “Darling, that’s genius. And, I’m totally in for New York too, but…”

“We’ll get both,” Hyunjin takes two boxes of the respective flavors and puts them in the basket.

“Beautiful.”

“Wait, I do want two payments though. Just two. They’ll be a good memory.”

“Hmmm? What is it?”

“A kiss and vocal lessons?”

Jisung attaches his lips in a kissy pose to Hyunjin’s cheeks in an instant. “Gladly for both.” 

Hyunjin giggles. “Perfect. Now smile for the camera, this one’s going to be on the Insta.”

“Send me the pic once you are done.”

  
  
“Will do.”

~~~~

When Hyunjin and Jisung arrived back at the mansion, they were instantly swarmed by their friends.

“Why were you at 7-Eleven?” 

“Oh my gosh, are you guys alright? It’s cold out there!”

“What did you buy?”

“Are you guys fake-dating?” 

Jisung rolls his eyes. Of course, it had to be Felix who said the last comment. 

“No.”

Minho smirks. “Prove it.”

This time, Jisung was not the person to initiate the kiss. It was Hyunjin, and he kissed Jisung right on the lips.

Let’s just say a certain few people’s vocal cords barely survived that night.

**Author's Note:**

> Want to chat with me? DM and follow me at @chocolattewings on Twitter!! :D
> 
> (I spoiled the entire plot for this in a thread I made recently. Kudos to you if you find it.)


End file.
